5 Ways to Turn a Bad Day Around

You know those days when everything clicks and you can’t believe how amazing you are? You replay the highlights of the day in your head like you’re the star in the epic movie about your life, you tell yourself that you can accomplish anything, and you even do the happy dance.

You are awesome!

But what about the off days when everything you do fails miserably?

Maybe your sure-fire proposal that works every time, bombed with a new client. Or on the day you decide to tackle the 100-plus tasks on your list, all you have to show for your efforts is a funny e-mail you wrote to a friend. Or while you’re uploading your latest YouTube video, you accidentally delete your other videos that have a decent following.

When you work from home you have to be your #1 cheerleader. Who else is going to give you a pat on the back, tell you everything is going to be OK and give you an afternoon, or the whole week off with no questions asked?

I did an informal survey of my clients, colleagues and friends to find out what they do instead of throwing in the home office towel and letting their mistakes or lack of motivation ruin their day. Even the people who always seem to have good days, no matter what, were quick to offer a few solutions.

Talk with a friend.

Misery loves company and if your best friend who lives across the country can’t meet you for coffee, virtual venting on Skype or FaceTime will work too. Only a good friend can take one look at you and know exactly what you need to go from feeling bad to being a badass.

Grab your laptop and head to your local coffee shop or bookstore.

You don’t have to make new friends or talk to anyone but by surrounding yourself with others, you’re less likely to focus on your bad day. You may even see someone who is having a worse day than you. Not that that should make you feel better, but be honest…it sort of will.

Take a walk…a long walk.

You can brave the snow, head to the mall, or hit the gym. When you get your adrenaline going and feel your endorphins kick in, you’ll be ready to handle anything. Or if you still haven’t been able to break your bad mood after you’ve broken a sweat, grab some comfort food. You shouldn’t feel too bad because you’ve just burned a few calories.

Catch a movie.

Join your corporate counterparts who, like you, are supposed to be working but are at a movie instead. They’re easy to spot. Look for anyone in a suit or business clothes who is as worried as a student skipping school that the person in charge will find out he’s at a movie in the morning. Of course I never did that when I was a corporate employee. I went to movies in the afternoon.

Learn something to help you grow your business.

Search any topic you’ve wanted to learn more about. Whether it’s marketing your business, improving your blog or attracting more clients, the Internet is filled with an endless selection of videos, e-books and webinars. If you can pick up a few tips from any of those sources, you can apply them right away and you’ll have a better chance of changing the way your day is going.

Do something that makes you laugh.

Watch funny videos on YouTube, check out Funny or Die, or look out your window and maybe you’ll see someone dressed in shorts and black dress socks. How can you stop yourself from laughing at that? Normally I’d say that only works in the summer but I saw my neighbor wearing that exact outfit this morning.

Not every day is going to go smoothly. But knowing that the next Happy Dance is just a day or two away can make an awful day a bit more bearable.

Welcome to Working Naked®

I left the corporate world over 20 years ago and have been working from home commute-free, boss-free, and annoying-co-worker-free ever since. On Working Naked® you’ll learn proven techniques to improve the way you work from home including, productivity tips, balancing your home and office life, home office design tips, and more.
—Lisa Kanarek